Teller&#39;s window



March 27, 1962 1, J. PEARSON TELLER'S WINDOW Filed Jan. 20, 1960INVENTOR. lRA J. PEARSON BY /4M a w AGE/VT United States Patent "cc3,027,212 TELLERS WINDOW Ira J. Pearson, 3680 Chicago Ave., Riverside,Calif. Filed Jan. 20, 1960, Ser. No. 3,611 1 Claim. (Cl. 312-1401) Thepresent invention relates to tellers windows for use in banks or otherinstitutions, wherein tellers or clerks transact their business with thepublic over a counter having a low partition thereon which is providedat intervals with openings that constitute the tellers windows.

Heretofore, the countertop partitions have usually been constructed withpermanent openings at regularly spaced intervals. Hinged doors wereprovided in the openings which could be closed when the teller was awayfrom the window or when he was not on duty for transacting business withthe public. The chief drawback of this conventional arrangement is thatthe placement of the tellers windows is fixedly established at the timethe partition is constructed, and any change in the window location, dueto rearrangement of the tellers cages or ofiice equipment, necessitatesremoving the partition and rebuilding the same, which is a costly andinconvenient procedure. Another disadvantage is that the hinged doorsare relatively expensive to build and install, and when open, theypresent an unsightly appearance due to the exposed hinges and back edgesof the doors. Further, when the doors are swung 90 inwardly for the openposition, the width of the opening is reduced by the thickness of thedoors and by the width of the hinge barrels.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved tellers window, which is attractive in appearance, flexible infunction, simple and inexpensive in construction, and convenient to use.The principal advantage of the present invention is that it provides acountertop partition which is so constructed and arranged as to permittellers windows to be opened at any point along the length thereof, asrequired. At the same time, these windows can also be closed in a mannersuch that the countertop partition presents an unbroken facade, asthough it had been constructed permanently with only whatever windowsare open at the time.

Another advantage of the invention is that when open, the full width ofthe tellers window is available for use, without being reduced by thethickness of the open doors.

Other objects and inventions of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the followingdetailed description of the preferr d embodiment thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a tellers window embodying theprinciples of the invention, showing three sections of the same, all ofwhich are closed;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view of the same, showing the center section open;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken thru the countertoppartition;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one of the frontcorners of the partition; and

FIGURE 5 is a similar enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one ofthe back corners of the partition.

In the drawings, the reference numeral designates a counter top, such asis used in banks and the like, and mounted thereon is a low partitionstructure 11 which extends the length of the counter. The partition 11is made up of a plurality of uniformly spaced apart panels 12 thatdivide the structure into separate compartments, each of which can beopened up, as shown in FIGURE 2, to form a tellers window. The dividingpanels 12 are 3,627,212 Patented Mar. 27, 1962 attached at their bottomedges to the counter top 1E and rise perpendicularly therefrom, normalto the front edge of the counter top. The spacing between adjacent pairsof dividing panels 12 may be any desired dimension, and a typicalexample would be sixteen inches on centers.

The front edge 13 of each of the panels 12 is inclined outwardly at aslight angle, and formed in opposite sides of the panel closely adjacentthe front edge i3 and parallel thereto are narrow slots 14, whichreceive the side edges of front panels 15. The front panel 15 ispreferably formed by bonding two sheets of hard-surfaced plasticlaminate together back-to-back, giving a very thin panel which is stiff,dimensionally stable, and pleasing in appearance as seen from bothsides.

Mounted on top of the dividing panels 12 and front panels 15 are toppanels 16, which abut against one another to form a continuous topsurface for the partition structure 11, broken only by the inconspicuousseparation lines between panels. FIGURE 1 shows the partition structurewith continuous top panels. Each of the top panels 16 overlies half thewidth of the top edge of its associated dividing panels 12, and the endsof one panel 16 abut against the ends of the adjoining panels 16.

Each of the top panels 16 includes a. strip 17 which is attachedintegrally to the underside of the panel along the front edge thereof.The primary purpose of the strip 17 is to increase the apparentthickness of the top panel 16 as seen from in front, and to give it anappearance of solidity without appreciably increasing the weight of thepanel. The strip 17 is slotted lengthwise at 1% on its underside toreceive the top edge of the front panel 15. Each of the dividing panels12 has a notch 2h formed in the corner thereof at the junction of thetop edge with the front edge 13, and the ends of the strips 37 areseated in this notch, as best shown in FIGURE 4. A second strip 19 isattached to the bottom of the top panel 16 along the rear edge thereof,and the ends of the strip 19 are cut off at 21, so as to abut againstthe adjacent side of the dividing panel 12. Thus, the strip 19 serves tolocate the top panel 16 between its respective pair of dividing panels12, while the slot 18 engaging the top edge of the front panel 15positions the top panel 16 with respect to the front and rear edges ofthe partition structure 11.

In use, the panels 15 and 16 are normally inserted in place, as shown inFIGURE 1, when there is to be no tellers window open to the public. Whenit is desired to open the window, the teller merely lifts the top panel16 olf the dividing panels 12, slips the front panel 15 up out of theslots 14-, and places the panels 15 and 16 on a shelf under the countertop 10. The partition 11 is then as shown in FIGURE 2, with anunobstructed opening between two adjacent dividing panels 12, whichserves as the tellers window. The space between the side walls iscompletely clear, and there are no hinged doors or other obstructions tointerfere with the transaction of business through the window. Thepartition 11 presents an attractive appearance to the public, both whenopen and closed, and the effect created is one of permanentconstruction, with open windows provided only at whatever locations areopen at the time. Normally the panels 12 and 16 would be formed ofplywood, finished on all exposed surfaces with hard-surfaced plasticlaminate, so that all exposed surfaces have a finished appearance.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail what I believeto be the preferred form of my invention, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes may be made in. the shape andarrangement of the several parts without departing from the scope of thefollowing claim.

I claim:

For use on an elongated counter top having a front 3 edge and a backedge, a normally continuous sectional partition extending the length ofsaid counter top and having portions that are quickly removable to formtellers window openings, said partition comprising a plurality ofparallel divider panels fixed at their bottom edges to said counter topand rising perpendicularly therefrom normal to said front edge, saiddivider panels having narrow slots formed therein parallel to andclosely adjacent the front edges thereof, a front panel disposed betweeneach adjoining pair of divider panels, said front panel having sideedges slidably received within said slots, a horizontal top panelresting along its side edges on the top edges of two adjoining dividerpanels, said top panel overlying the top edges of each of said dividerpanels approximately half the thickness of said divider panel, said toppanel also overlying the top edge of said front panel and having anarrow slot formed in the underside thereof extending parallel to itsfront edge in the same plane as said front panel, the top edge of saidfront panel being received within said slot so as to position said toppanel with respect to the front panel, and means on the underside ofsaid top panel adjacent the back edge thereof and abutting against eachof the two divider panels supporting the top panel, for locating the toppanel centrally with respect to said divider panels, said top and frontpanels being quickly removable to provide an unobstructed openingbetween adjoining pairs of divider panels which serves as a tellerswindow.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS419,295 Sutton Jan. 14, 1890 1,810,618 Nelson June 16, 1931 2,462,330Mueller Feb. 22, 1949 2,688,525 Lindstrom Sept. 7, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS1,179,782 France May 28, 1959

